This is a short but steep hike with a nice view of the Almaden Valley along the way! This trail spreads out and connects with other trails which makes it easier to turn this into a larger hike/mountain bike ride. There is plenty of shade along the way, so it can be traversed on hot days without heatstroke. Parking at the trailhead has never been a problem. read more

Belgatos Park - View on the way up to the top - Hiking Near Me - Los Gatos, California

Cute little park and playground with moderate hiking trails. The trail is very uneven and steep in some parts. Overall a pleasant short hike. It does lead to the Santa Rosa Open Space trail which is a longer and more strenuous hike. read more

We went for a hike with a friend and her dog. The restroom facilities were clean. The hand dryer didn't work in the ladies', but air-drying is easy outdoors. The hike options were well laid out on a map at the trailhead. We chose the 2 mile trail. There is also a 5 mile option. The start of the hike was a grind and made me glad we didn't try to bring our dog in his stroller. The trail was shaded a lot of the way, which was nice and kept us from overheating. There were a few more steep hills, but they made for a nice challenge, and seemed to please the mountain bikers. The views were lovely and showed the San Jose skyline and the surrounding hills. This is definitely a great place for a quick getaway and moderate workout. read more

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Not a big park, but it is wonderfully shaded! It has a nice enough play structure with an end for tots and a part that's more "big kid" friendly. The ground of the play structure area is wood chips. There are public restrooms, and there's a small parking lot. When I got to the park and there were no spots left in the lot, I was able to easily find street parking a block away (and in the shade!). There are picnic tables and lots of grassy area. The best part of this park is that it has shade galore! Yes I get very excited about shaded parks. Mom life! read more

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Google around and found this park in Los Gatos . Although it js a short hiking trail , it has good elevation for short exercise . The trail is well maintain and easy to walk , or even run . Please note : no water station or toilet that I am aware of , dog friendly walking path read more

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I'm reviewing this park in the context of its playground, not the rest of the park. I didn't come here to hike nor did I go down a trail for more than a few hundred feet, so I can't really comment on that besides it looks... steep. The playground itself is split on two levels, so you can't run around much. The equipment is in good shape and there's enough for younger kids (say 4-5 max) to have fun. It's almost completely shaded, so on a hot day this place would be nice. There's a larger, sloped grassy area to run around it, but it receives direct sunlight. The parking lot is small, but then again this is a very small park so I doubt it gets packed unless someone is throwing a party here. Although given the lack of anything nearby, I don't know why you would. So anyway, if you live close, it's a decent choice and may be a good choice on a hot day. But it's not worth driving more than 10 minutes for, it's just too small. read more

Finally checked out this place after a friend recommended it. I could see how this is only known to LG residents because it is nestled in a exclusive neighborhood. You'll drive by what looks like a tv set neighborhood to drive into the park. Limited spots but it wasn't too busy on a Saturday morning around 9:30 am. If you are out of shape, start on your right. The trail entrance on the left is a steep beginning. We felt the trail was too short so we went all the way around twice for a total of almost 6 miles. What I loved is that there were not a lot of people. I am that person that hikes with a mask and follows all COVID protocols so I appreciated less hikers Compared to other busy areas. Recommend it! read more

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A charming, well-maintained little park in a nice, quiet neighborhood, complete with a playground for the kiddos and flat, grassy area for hanging out, picnicking or maybe tossing a ball around with friends or your kids! There are also picnic tables, a group area you can reserve (signs tell you how to do so), and restrooms that were surprisingly much cleaner than one would expect for a park! Our favorite part of Belgatos Park is the access to a few great trails that are part of Santa Rosa Open Space. These trails are open from 7am to sunset, and are open for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, and even horseback riding. Dogs are allowed on the trails too, but must be kept on a leash. The trails are really well-maintained as well, and within minutes can whisk you away into the hills where you feel like you're far, far away from the city! We did get a great view all the way towards downtown San Jose on a recent clear morning, and with all the rain we got over the past few months, everything was super green and the birds were singing! read more

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This was a great place to start a hike. Located in Los Gatos, this park is in the middle of two open space preserves: Santa Rosa Open Space and Heintz Open Space. Belgatos is the start of two major hiking trails: Ridge Trail which is about .3 miles, which takes you into Santa Rosa Open Space and Santa Rosa Trail which is about .4 miles and connects you to Valley View Trail that leads you into Heintz Open Space. Valley View Trail is about a mile long. If you do both trails as out and backs, it makes a great 3.4 mile hike. If you have kids, stick to the playground. They have swings and wonderful things for kids to climb and play on. read more

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Getting lost after visiting a nearby crafts fair brought me to this great park! I was beyond exited to this gem! Belgatos to me means 'beautiful cats'. I did not see any cat or mountain lion but surely I watched not to step over any snake on my way up...I have to say I was dressed with nice shoes and a dress, not in a hiking mode at all. However, this park is just the beginning of a series of trails where I saw people going up mountain biking and other excursionists dressed with proper attire. I was just there wandering, so it is great that the discovery of a new park for me has open the possibilities of new trails to hike hopefully soon. The parking lot is not huge, but I found a spot right away. Looks like this park -a park per kids and for picnics - is mostly used by the neighbors, so it has a cozy feeling to it. There were some ladies signing and playing guitar, friends picnicking in some of the tables and some kids playing, but not crowded at all and super pleasant. They have bathrooms and also a big photographic map with indications of all trails you can take from that park. read more

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This is a nice park tucked in a Los Gatos neighborhood. It has a small playground and a few short hiking trails with beautiful oak trees and views of the South Bay. It has a small parking lot, about 10 spots. We went on a Friday afternoon and there were just a few people there. Be aware - when we went we were warned by another hiker that there were two juvenile mountain lions spotted right before we got there only a few hundred feet from the playground. Of course this can happen anywhere in our area but it is good to be aware! read more

Belgatos Park - Beautiful trees on the ridge trail - Hiking Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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There's a couple of trails you can go on. If you're a full circle kind of person (where you don't want to walk the same trail 2x [there and back], then I would recommend the Pink Line then walking through a little of the residential area and then taking the yellow line. Beware, the pink line is a little steep, but if you take it slow, it's fine. The Yellow line is called "Yellow" for a reason, there is only yellow "grass' that surrounds the trail. It's a nice area to hike because there's not that many people that come to this spot and the people that you'll meet along the way during your hike are super friendly. You won't be seeing any "cool" wildlife here other than the occasional bird, squirrel, or lizard. It's an okay place to take pictures, but there's not THAT much to photograph because it's mainly yellow grassland. ~~Parking: Free, but there's limited spots. I would say that you'd have to get there before 10 AM if you want to get a spot, because it starts filling up after that ~~Tips: If you think you'll get hungry, bring food! It's a park too so there's a table in the shade that you can eat at or you can have a picnic on the large grass area. read more

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I am thankful to live in this area where there are so many trails that are not congested. This is a nice fairly hidden trail that starts next to a children's park. It is pretty steep when you start but evens out after the first stretch. It is interconnected with the other LG trails and you can choose the distance you want to go. You get some nice views of the South Bay from here. read more

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A pretty cool park near me with some short hiking trails. The first incline is a drag but some nice views from top. Grassy area is spacious with a restroom nearby. Parking lot can only fit about a dozen cars, but plenty of residential street parking nearby. read more

Small parking lot but seems like there is always a spot open. Went on the Ridge Trail to Fire Road then up the residential street Santa Rosa Rd to the Santa Rosa Trail. It was 2 miles and a good incline. I carried my daughter in a backpack and got a good workout. The trail was nicely kept, quiet and we saw a mama and baby deer. Great views of downtown San Jose. Trail has lots of trees and is mostly shaded. Wish the trials looped. The park was shaded and their were benches with a grassy area. The structures were nice and had two big slides and small slides as well. read more

Four stars for this local park. Nestled inside the nice neighborhood of Los Gatos residence, this park offers so much potential for hikers/walkers. Parking lot is available upon entrance. There is a steep hike at the beginning, however, you will encounter with flat hike afterwards. And on the left side there is swing under a tree with breathtaking view of south bay on the background. To reach to this point, you would have to walk about 5-10 minutes from the parking lot depending your skill. On the other side, there's a playground for kids, still close during pandemic. And there's a nice hiking path with bridge over a flowing stream. Watch out for rattle snake during summer! read more

Fun little park to bring the kids to the playground, have a family picnic, or throw a birthday party. There are a few play structures, a decent amount of picnic tables, and joining trails near by. Parking free but limited. There is a near by neighborhood where you can park on the street. Enjoy!! read more

This is a fantastic little park! The playground has swings, slides and even a climbing wall. The bathrooms were clean and there is even one of those cool water bottle refill stations. There is a nice grassy area perfect for picnicking. There is a nice hiking trail but it's a little confusing the map is about half a mile into the hike. The hike is hilly but we saw even little ones walking it however it is not stroller friendly I repeat NOT STROLLER FRIENDLY. Overall it's a perfect park to spend the afternoon hiking and playing. read more

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I've been coming to this park since I was a kid. I grew up on this street and coming here is always brings back lots of nostalgia. The park looks it's best during the spring. If you're looking for a quick 30-40 min hike this park has got just that. There are a couple of hiking trails connected to the park. There used to be more tables and a grassy area behind the bathrooms a little farther down behind the park but of course they got rid of them, not quite sure why. The park itself usually has some birthdays going on during the day. Lots of the locals come here to walk and take there kids to play. It's a really charming spot. read more

Belgatos Park is a wonderful park! From the entrance it looks like a very small park with grass, a playground, bathrooms, and a small parking area. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The real gem of this park are the trails through the woods, and the great valley views from some of these trails. From the entrance, you can walk up a paved road to the base of Belgatos Dam. This is a small earthen dam for Belgatos Reservoir, which holds the drinking water for the adjacent neighborhood. The reservoir itself is covered and fenced, but is visible from the Ridge Trail. Coming out from the base of the dam is Belgatos Creek, which goes over a small 3 foot high waterfall from the base of the dam into the creek itself. The creek meanders under 3 bridges on its way to near the playground, where it goes into underground pipes for the rest of its journey. Along the creek in the park are many trees, forming a nice place to walk. Just before the dam, is a secluded upper meadow, ringed with trees and the creek on one side. Opposite the upper meadow, on the west side, there is the entrance to the switchback trail that goes up a steep hill winding right, left, right, left, etc. until you reach the top. Unfortunately, the land at the top is not part of the park, and the property owner does not want anyone to cross the property, so there is a big "do not enter" sign at the top of the trail. Many, many years before that sign was erected, you could cut across that property to reach a trail that would go further up the hill and back into the park. But now, the switchback trail is a dead end; when you reach the top, you have to return the way you came. To the left of the dam, is the Ridge Trail. This will take you up to the top of the ridge above the reservoir with great views of the South Bay, extending all the way to downtown San Jose. To see the view, you have to go off the ridge trail, right at the summit, and go to the edge of the ridge (to your left). This is also where the trail from Cardboard Hill reaches the ridge trail. (Cardboard Hill is named this because the neighborhood kids bring cardboard and use it as a sled to ride down the hill when the grass has dried and is slippery). Right before the ridge trail from the dam reaches the summit, if you turn left and go back down the hill, you will return to the playground. If you continue along the ridge trail, you eventually get to near the top of Harwood Road. At that junction you can then take a pedestrian only fire road through the woods to eventually reach Madera Ct on top of the hill. Back at the dam, if you take the trail to the right, you will begin to climb the hill and reach a fork in the trail. The left fork continues up to Santa Rosa Road. The right fork goes to an area with a loop trail. If you take the fork to the right, the valley view trail, you will follow the old path of Dr. Heintz's miniature ride-on railroad. If you look very closely, you can still see some remnants of the railroad, like cross ties, and the entrance to the caved in tunnel. The views of the valley are great from this trail. There is even a bench (courtesy of the Boy Scouts) at one spot where you can rest and enjoy the view. Eventually the valley view trail reaches its end, where you can continue the loop back along the sky lane trail, which will eventually take you back to where the valley view trail started. Alternately, you can take the trail that goes downhill, which will eventually lead you down, pase the site of Dr. Heintz's summerhouse (nothing left now except for some patio paving) and down to the old farm where he lived. His house is still there (the old one in the middle of a Summerhill housing development). This eventually leads to Blossom Hill Road. These are the major trails in Belgatos Park. There are some other side trails, but they are not as maintained and patrolled as the main trails. This park is a great one for taking walks (with a lot of hill climbing). read more

This review is more for the hiking trails than for the kid's park. Kid's park looks great. As for the hike.....If. you. want. to. sweat. your. ass.off. and. talk. in. between. gasps. like. this. hike. at.this. park! The BF and I have recently decided to hike at least 2-3 times a week and checked this park out. We have only taken one trail so far, but boy, was it a tough one! It starts off fairly easy, and then all of a sudden you are walking up some pretty steep hills! I guess we took a wrong turn somewhere though and ended up on the hill by all the residential homes...which is actually no longer in the park, but we decided to just loop around the neighborhood and back into the park. It was kind of cool though, because other than the beauty of nature all around us, we also got to take in the beauty of all the gorgeous million dollar homes too! We will definitely be back, although I don't see this becoming one of our favorite spots. only because I think there are other trails that are much more scenic and calming. read more

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The park itself is very small, with limited parking, but you can park on the street. The park also have a clean bathroom. You can access few trails from this park: Ridge Line: Very short, 0.6 miles (Round trip), but the start form park is a steep incline, great for my calves and glute. Santa Rosa Trail will connect to Heinz Open space's trails, Skyline Trail, then to Valley View Trail and end on the other side of the Heinz Open Space, which you can take a quick detour on Vista Trail (.07 Miles round trip). I came back on Valley View trail which offers the best view of city. Overall, about 4.7 Miles round trip, there are steep inclines on all the trails, so it makes a great workout. read more

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Clearly an "exclusive" park. Didn't see ANYONE OF COLOR at this park and by nature of its seclusion from the public, that feels intentional. Not a place I'd return to. Those aren't my family's values. read more

Used to bring my daughter here a lot 15 years ago when she was in preschool. It's got nice picnic tables and a clean bathroom, lots of grass and small kiddie play area. As she got older, we came here with Girl Scouts because it was a reasonable hike. As she got older, it got boring. We just went back the other day for a bit of a walk around and it was pleasant. The path is well maintained. read more

Belgatos Park is located among a cove of beautiful homes in Los Gatos. Upon arriving you will probably think it is a way too small park and not much walking or hiking can be done here. Venture further inward, up the paved road and you will find a gem of bright green trees, a small but pretty creek exuding the pleasant sounds of trickling water, and some paths good enough for a short hike. I found three short one, two of which end up going up hill. One did not have as much shade as the other so I ended up turning back so my dog did not end up too hot and dehydrated. The second one was very well shaded but rather short, I would say no more than half a mile long, but it is very pretty and breezy. The third path was about a mile long and was covered in a balcony of trees. They also provide doggy bag here and it has a great playground for kids as well as clean restrooms and a well manicured lawn. read more

Belgatos Park - Hiking Near Me - Los Gatos, California

The trails here are great if you're looking for something not too strenuous. I believe we took the Sky Lane trail (on the left side of the park) that took us to a steep climb up. This was probably the toughest part of the trail. Then it basically evens out to a nice incline. It was cool to pass by some very nice houses during our walk up. read more

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Got a little muddy on the trail. The scenery wasn't all that great as there are housing and industrial sites along the trails. Kind of confusing to follow the maps. Maybe the next time I'll have a better experience and will update! read more

The park is fine and there are bathrooms, but every time I go there, I'm attacked by flies or hornets. So many bugs.

From Belgatos Park, you can take a 0.4 mile trail slightly up hill to meet with Sky Lane Trail or Valley View Trail in the Heintz Open Preserve. Taking either one of those two trail options links to the eventual trailhead at Regent Dr (downhill). This will add another 1 mile of hiking. Then you can take the street back to wherever you parked at Belgatos Park area. To get back, just walk east from Heintz Ct to Surmont Ct, left on Surmont Dr, and right on Westhill Dr. This loop will roughly equal about 2 miles in total distance. Can easily do the hike/walk in an hour with several stops. There hasn't been much rain so things were pretty dry but some of the views were quite nice overlooking the south bay. Went on New Year's day and the trails were not overly crowded, hopefully it the same case on the weekends. read more

Belgatos Park. Oh the memories. You are the quintessential high school cheap date location. Yes. Let's go to Belgatos park because I have no idea where we can go and be away from our parents....and we won't get hassled by the cops. But could also get snipered by bobcats. Oh, the thrill. Into some summer fun? Grab some otter pops, a few folded boxes, and some charcoal filtered vodka in Crystal Geyser water bottles head to the top of the hill for some sledding and you've got yourself a party. read more

This is my second favorite municipal park in the Santa Clara valley, after Oak Meadow (also in Los Gatos). Its a pretty low-key place, and the bulk of the attendees are moms with their kids, with the primary attraction being the playground. But there are a couple of extremely worthwhile trails (particularly the so-called "Ridge Trail") that really make this place a neighborhood treat. There is a lot of wildlife at this park, so its important to keep your dogs leashed. I actually saw a small cougar just this afternoon, and it was doubtless still in the care of its big mama mountain lion, so no, unleashed dogs would be potentially at great risk. They have a very nice bathroom facility. Not much parking, but I've always found a spot, usually with the majority still open. That's one of the charms of this place; not many people come here, and most stick to near the entrance, so you can really get away from it all, as it were, on the trails. read more

This is a fantastic little park! It's hidden in an upscale neighborhood and frequented by affluent families. There aren't any suspicious looking characters and I feel totally safe here with my kids. When my kids see I feel comfortable then they feel comfortable too - and they should! There's plenty to explore here. It starts off with a small play structure which is solid and clean. Go in a little deeper and there's an open space which is perfect for playing frisbee. When you're done with that go and explore the little creek and the trails. Absolutely perfect! I have never seen this park crowded although the small parking lot can fill up. I hope this gem of a park stays like this for a long time! read more

Came here last Sunday with boyfriend and his family for a nice afternoon BBQ. Very quiet and private. Not much of a big area but very good enough for a small community. I do give them credit for making the place clean, especially the restroom area which is clean and adequately stocked with tissue papers and towels. Good job! :) read more

Brought the kids here on a whim and really glad I did. It is a mid-sized park, with a few separate playground areas suitable for various ages, and a decent sized open-area grass field, for playing ball or picnicking. There is enough space and it is laid out in such a way that it doesn't get too crowded, and you don't run into people doing your own thing. But there are enough people here, from both the neighborhood and outside areas, to make it a nice play to mingle or have your kids make a new friend. However, it is secluded enough to also get you away from the hustle and bustle of the area. There are also hiking trails here, very accessible and likely very easy, but to be honest I felt a little nervous exploring them. I'm pretty sure there is bound to be some semi-dangerous animals in the bush here, and its just kind of weird that they are not well marked, maintained, or populated. It's kind of like exploring a very quiet, very deserted road all by yourself. Not fun with kids... But not too bad if you're with your pooch or by yourself. That being said, I will definitely be back, both with my kids, and by myself or with my pooch! read more

Belgatos Park itself is very small, with short routes that loop around the small park. It does have its private parking lot, which is not very big either. However, there are lots of convenient street parking right around. This park also features a small area for children to play. The real gem of this park is that it is the entrance to the Santa Rosa Open Space and the variety of trails that it offers. There are various entrances to the Santa Rosa Open Space, but this one is probably the most convenient with easy parking spots. I would highly recommend coming here for a quick visit along with hiking in the Santa Rosa Open Space. You would not regret it! read more

Really pretty park with some nice trails and great places to have a picnic. Dogs are welcome (on leash) and the trees that they have along the trails are absolutely spectacular. The parking lot is small, but there is plenty of street parking as well! read more

Nice little playground - the equipment for 5 and under was great - only really two climbing structures and some swings for the older kids. The park is beautiful and well maintained with a manicured grassy area some nice little trails through more natural terrain. read more

Belgatos Park - Belgatos Park Trails - Hiking Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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I almost don't want to write this review because I don't want my favorite park to be crowded. It's truly a hidden gem! There is a ton of shade on hot days great areas for small hikes. We have seen a bit of wild life. They have a nice playground for the kids. It's rarely crowded and has clean facility's. There is a small creek. And an over all nice outdoors day perfect for a family with small children plenty of green grassy areas for play as well and dogs are welcome!!! read more

So close to getting 5 stars from me except for the fact that the trails don't loop!!!! I think there might be one that does, but most of the time, I end up turning around... :( sad day... nothing quite kills a runner's high as having to turn around and go back the way you came.... but it is beautiful and I love the trails they have... great hills, beautiful neighborhood when you're going through the neighborhoods... park on the street if you go running later in the day! I've been locked in the parking lot before!!! so creepy having to go in there to grab my stuff after my run in the dark...!! read more

I decided recently I should try to start hiking again. In an effort to explore the world beyond the Almaden Quicksilver Park, we tried out Belgatos Park a couple of weeks ago. There isn't too much to the park in terms of trails and most of the trails don't loop. On the other hand, the park does lead you to a pretty cute view of Los Gatos. There are also some pretty steep climbs that you know are probably good for your health but still make you wonder why you're subjecting your body to pain and misery. It's a nice park, but the only reason that it's getting the 3 star and not the 4 star is that it's nothing really that the trails that are closer to my parents' house can't offer. And to be fair, my review is more for the trails around the park than the playgrounds themselves. Can't really vouch for those. read more